Letters

Road show

Michael Billington's review of The Good Soul of Szechuan at the Young Vic, and its heading (A shot of heroin brings Brecht's wicked world up to date, May 16) is a tad misleading. Michael is entitled to his opinion that Brecht's vision is "anachronistic", but the suggestion that the play has been updated by the modern director and writer by including references to heroin is mistaken. The revelation that Shui Ta's empire is founded on heroin was introduced by Brecht himself in a later adaptation of the play, the "Santa Monica version", written in 1943.Ian Saville London

In the light of the letter (May 21) about books from the University of Nottingham's library being shipped out to China, my husband will not now be returning the copy of Warrender's The Political Philosophy of Hobbes, which was due back on November 18 1967. Up until now he'd still been meaning to get round to it.Dr Sarah HaleBirkbeck College, University of London

The last lines of The Elements by Tom Lehrer (Letters, passim): "These are the only ones of which the news has come to Harvard / And there may be many others but they haven't been discarvard.Andrew CarrollCastletimon, County Wicklow

Our new motorway game (Letters, passim) is to spot the meaningless slogans carried on the sides of commercial vehicles, for example "logistic solutions", or deliveries as we used to call them, and two recently seen coaches, one bearing the legend "taking people places" and the other "passenger solutions".Ian ChurchillLeeds

Phil Penfold's grandfather's reply to the barber to cut his hair "in silence" (Letters, May 20) is included in a book of Greek jokes called Philogelos (laughter-lover) published in the fourth century AD.Michael BulleyChalon-sur-Saône, France

I am 86 and can assure Nancy Banks-Smith that sponge cakes made with paraffin and dried eggs were lovely. Many wartime meals were excellent - far tastier and healthier than some of the rubbish we are served up with today.Irene PurdyRamsbottom, Lancashire